If you’ve so much as even thought about the Australian punk scene in recent years, then there’s a good chance you’ve given Luke Seymoup some of your mental real estate. Now, following the arrival of two new tracks in as many months, “Melbourne’s busiest man in punk” is back, formally entering the spooky season with the release of “Knife”.
The completion of a trilogy which begun with the release of “Friends Fall Apart” and “Average” in August and September, respectively, new single “Knife” showcases Seymoup’s classic indie-punk sound, capturing the darker sounds of iconic groups such as Alkaline Trio and Saves the Day, and the intellectual indie rock of names such as The Hold Steady.
Recorded by Seymoup in his home studio, before featuring drums tracked at Echidna Studio and the mixing and mastering talents of Daniel Antix at Def Wolf Studios (Amends, Clay J Gladstone, Genesis Owuzu), “Knife” is exactly what fans of Seymoup have come to know and love: combining introspective, thoughtful lyrics with the joyful, upbeat exterior of a punk song that unifies the masses.
“I wrote ‘Knife’ during a period of change in my life. Adult responsibilities and work started to take up more of my time, leaving less time for making music,” Seymoup explains. “When you’ve been an independent artist for a long time, you start to have to steal minutes of your own day to work on your art.
“As you get older, the doubts start to creep in too. When you’re young and starting out, you’re proud of everything you do and you have a thick skin for criticism. With age comes wisdom but, also, you don’t feel so sure about what you’re doing anymore. I wrote this song to fight that doubt and try to reclaim some of that youthful confidence.
As Seymoup explains though, the decision to make the song more upbeat than its lyrics suggest wasn’t an accidental one, with both he and his band purposely ensuring that it still maintained a sense of fun and remained danceable.
“Maybe we did this to lull the listener with a false sense of security before hitting them with the gut-punch of those dark lyrics inspired by old Saves The Day and Alkaline Trio records,” he explains. “But, also, maybe we did it to fight those negative emotions and turn what could be a defeat into a victory.”
Whatever the case, “Knife” is undoubtedly an instant classic, and one that looks destined to remain firmly stuck in your heads for weeks to come.
Luke Seymoup’s “Knife” is officially released on October 11th.
